Towel dispensing cabinet with scraper attachment

ABSTRACT

A continuous towel dispensing cabinet includes an open-bottom housing having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into the housing, an open-top clean towel receptacle mounted in the bottom of the housing and provided with a cover hingedly mounted thereon, dispensing apparatus and soiled towel take-up means mounted in the housing overlying the receptacle for respectively feeding clean towel to the exit path and retracting soiled towel from the return path, guard members for separating the dispensing apparatus and the take-up means from each other and from the receptacle, first and second scraper members carried by the receptacle adjacent to the open bottom thereof and cooperating to engage and scrape the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom, the first scraper member being detachably mounted on the receptacle by means of resilient retaining structure to facilitate cleaning and servicing thereof.

United States Patent [191 Bahnsen TOWEL DISPENSING CABINET WITH SCRAPER ATTACHMENT [75] Inventor: Erwin B. Bahnsen, Oak Brook, lll.

[73] Assignee: Steiner American Corporation,.Salt

Lake City, Utah [22] Filed: Jan. 27, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 110,102

[52] US. Cl ..312/38 Primary Elxam iner.lames C. Mitchell Attorney-Jrangley, Clayton, Mullin, Dithmar & Vogel 1 Apr. 17, 1973 ABSIRACT.

A continuous towel dispensingcabinet includes an open-bottom housing having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into the housing, an open-top clean towel receptacle mounted in the bottom of the housing and provided with a cover hingedly mounted thereon, dispensing-apparatus and soiled towel take-up means mounted in the housing-overlying the receptacle for respectively feeding clean towel to the exit path and retracting soiled towel from the return path, guard members for separating the dispensing apparatus and the take-up means from each other and from the receptacle, first and second scraper members carried by the receptacle adjacent to the open bottom thereof and cooperating to engage and scrape the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom, the first scraper member being detachably mounted on the receptacle by means of resilient retaining structure to facilitate cleaning and servicing thereof.

16 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures l I /00 I PATENTEU APR 1 7 I975 SHEET 1 [1F 2 INVEN TOR ERW/N B. BA HNSEN I ATTY;

PATENTED APR 1 7 I973 SHEET 2 BF 2 towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein andvhaving associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a I return path into the housing, a receptacle mounted in the housing and having an access opening therein for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in the housing for dispensing clean towel from the receptacle through the dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop take-up means mounted in the housing and coupled to the dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, the take-up means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of the receptacle, and scraper mechanism carried by the housing below the access opening and the dispensing apparatus for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path are prevented from falling into the receptacle and the dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.

It is another object of this invention to provide a towel dispenser of the type set forth, wherein said scraper mechanism includes two spaced apart scraping members carried by the housing below the access opening and the dispensing apparatus and extending generally toward each other.

It is another object of this invention to provide a towel dispenser of the type set forth, wherein the rear of the receptacle is spaced forwardly from the adjacent portion of the housing for defining therebetween a lower portion of the rear path, one of the scraping members being detachably mounted on the rear of the receptacle and extending rearwardly therefrom and the other of the scraping members being carried by the rear of the housing and extending forwardly therefrom adjacent to one scraping member.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a towel dispenser of the type set forth, wherein the receptacle is provided with amounting opening therein adjacent to the lower rear end thereof, the one scraping member having a scraping blade and a mounting tab thereon and having a scraping position with the mounting tab received in the mounting opening and the scraping blade extending rearwardly from the receptacle,

and further including retaining means engaging the one scraping member in the scraping position thereof for releasably holding the one scraping member in its scraping position.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a towel dispenser of the type set forth, which further includes a shield member and a guard member and a receptacle cover, all cooperating to separate the dispensing apparatus and the take-up means from each other and from the open-top receptacle for further insuring that any soil particles which may not be removed by the scraping mechanism will be prevented from contaminating the clean towel supply.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts of the towel dispenser, whereby the above-outlined and additional operating features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood with reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the dispensing cabinet of the present invention, with the right side wall (as viewed from the front) removed to more clearly illustrate the interior of the cabinet; I

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the receptacle taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1, and illustrating the detachable scraper member mounted in its scraping position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the receptacle with the detachable scraper member removed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the detachable scraper member of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view in vertical section taken along the line 55 in FIG. 2, and illustrating the operation of the retaining member for holding the detachable scraper member mounted in its scraping position;and v FIG. 6 is a view, in vertical section taken along the line 66 in FIG. 2, and illustrating the cooperation between the receptacle and the attachment flange and mounting tabs of the detachable scraper member.

Referring now to FIG. 1' of the drawings, there is shown a towel dispensing cabinet according to the present invention, which is an improvement of the towel dispensing cabinet disclosed in my copending U.S. application .Ser. No. 8,125, titled TOWEL DISPENSING CABINET WITI-I COVERED CLEAN TOWEL RECEPI'ACLE," filed on Jan. 15, 1970, now

' U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,275 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Certain portions of the internal mechanism of the dispensing cabinet have been'deleted from the drawing herein forpurposes of clarity, all of thedeleted portions being disclosed in detail in the aforementioned U.S. application and in U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,251, issued to R. G. Birr, Aug. ll, 1959, the disclosures of which application and patent are incorporated herein by reference.

The towel dispensing cabinet of this invention includes a housing, generally designated by the numeral 10, having a rear wall 11 and a pair of opposed side walls 12, all of sheet metal and fabricated in one piece, one of the side walls being shown in FIG. 1. The top front corners of the side walls 12 are rounded as at 12a. A top wall 14 closes the upper end of the housing 10 and includes a downwardly extending rear flange 15 secured to an inwardly offsetflange 16 at the upper edge of the rear wall 11 in overlapping relationship therewith. A pair of side flanges 17 respectively depend fromthe side edges of the top wall 14 and are respectively secured to inwardly offset flanges 19 at the upper edges of the side walls 12 in overlapping relationship therewith. The forward portion of the top and the upper portion of the front of the housing is formed as a single upper door pivotally mounted on the front edge of the top wall 14 by hinges 21. The upper door 20 is shaped complementary to the adjacent rounded portion of the side walls 12 and includes a front panel 22 and a pair of side flanges 23 extending inwardly from the side edges of the front panel 22 and cooperating respectively with the offset flanges 19 formed in the side walls 12. The lower end of the front panel 22 is bent inwardly and upwardly to form an ar cuate flange 24 along the bottom edge of the upper door 20. s

Mounted on the inner surface of the rear wall 11 intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof is a horizontally disposed channel-shaped member, generally designated by the numeral 30, and including a bight portion 31 disposed parallel to the rear wall 11 and "fastened thereto by appropriate means. Integral with the upper edge of the bight 31 and extending forwardly therefrom, and substantially normal thereto is a relatively long upper leg 32, the forward end of which is folded back to form a rounded edge 33. Integral with the lower edge of the bight 31 and extending forwardly and upwardly therefrom is a relatively short lower leg 34 having the forward end thereof folded back to form a rounded edge 35. The purpose of the channel member will be described more fully hereinafter.

Respectively mounted on the inner surfaces of the side walls 12, intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof, are two upright side plates, generally designated by the numeral 40, disposed substantially parallel to the side walls 12 and each provided with a top outwardly turned flange 41 and a front outwardly turned flange 42 and a rear flange 43 and a bottom outwardly turned flange 44. The top and bottom outwardly front flange 42 in order to further stiffen the side plate 40. The side plates 40 are each secured to the housing 10 by suitable means (not shown) described in detail in the aforementioned US. Pat. No. 2,899,251. Depending from the lower edge of each of the side plates40 is an attachment tab 46 received in a corresponding slot in the upper leg 32 of the channel-shaped member 30 to further assist in supporting the side plates 40.

Mounted between the side plates 40 toward the front of the housing 10 is a measuring roll 50, the outer 'surfaces of the measuring roll 50 being covered with a suitable friction material 51 such as sandpaper, emery cloth or the-like to provide improved frictional engagement of the surfaceof the measuring roll 50 with the towel to be dispensed, as will be described more fully hereinafter. The measuring roll is supported at the opposite ends thereof by trunnions 56. Mounted between the side plates 40 adjacent to the measuring roll 50 and slightly forwardly'thereof is a pinch roll 55, supported at the opposite ends thereof by trunnions 57 disposed in complementary bearing members (not shown) which are adapted to respectively slide vertically in oppositely disposed corresponding guide members on the inner surfaces of the side plates 40. ln'use, the pinch roll 55 is held in engagement with the surface 'of the measuring roll 50 by gravity.

A take-up drive roll 60 is mounted between the side plates 40 rearwardly of the measuring roll 50 and is provided on the outer surface thereof with suitable frictional material 61 such as sandpaper, emery cloth or the like for providing improved frictional engagement with the towel, as will be described more fully hereinafter. Mounted between the side plates 40 above the drive roll 60 is a soiled towel take-up roll 65, held in engagement with the drive roll 60 by gravity. Also disposed along the inner surfaces of each of the side plates 40 are a rear guide member 66 and a front guide member 67, converging toward the top of the housing 10. ln use, trunnions 6 8 respectively extending from the opposite ends of the take-up roll 65 are disposed between the guide members 66 and 67 for limiting the forward and rearward movements of the take-up roll 65, while permitting vertical movement of the take-up roll 65 as the diameter thereof increases with the accumulation of soiled towel thereon. More particularly, with the rear and front guide members 66 and 67 spaced apart as shown in FIG. 1, the take-up roll 65 is free to roll over the upper surface of the take-up drive roll 60 from a normal position with the trunnions 68 in engagement with the rear guide member 66 to a second forward position with the trunnions 68 in engagementwith the front guide member 67. As the diameter of the The foregoing arrangement, which permits the takeup roll 65 to rotate over the surface of the take-up drive roll 66 between first and second positions, is provided to take up any excess towel that is drawn into the cabinet at the end of a particularly violent stopping action of the take-up drive roll 60. in other words, .the take-up roll 65 revolves in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, to take up the used towel as the take-up drive roll 60 rotates in a clockwise direction during a dispensing operation. when the take-up drive roll 60 is suddenly stopped at the end of adispensing operation, the momentum of the take-up roll 65 is absorbed by permitting the takeup roll 65 to rotate and roll forwardly over the rough surfaceof the. take-up drive roll 60 from the normal first position to the second position described above. Thus, the excess towel that is drawn into the cabinet as a result of the suddenly stopped take-up drive .roll 60 will be wound onto the take-up roll 65.

During the next dispensing operation, the take-up drive roll 60 will again rotate in the clockwise direction and during the initial phase of the operation it will carry the take-up roll 65 from the second position in engagement with the front guide 67 to the normal first position in engagement with the rear guide 66 without winding any towel on the take-up roll 65. However, the normal amount of towel will be dispensed from the cabinet during the return movement of the take-up roll 65 from its secondto its first position. Thus, the excess amount of towel that has been wound onto the take-up roll 65 resulting in a temporary shortening of the towel loop below the cabinet is replaced by the dispensing operation of the clean towel during the period in which the take-up roll 65 moves from its second position back to its first position without winding any of the used towel thereon. As soonas the take-up roll 65 again reaches the normal take-up-position in engagement with the rear guide 66, the process of taking up the used towel and winding it onto the take-up roll 65 will be resumed. It is apparent that, as the diameter of the used towel wound onto the take-up roll 65 increases, the distance that the take-up roll 65 must travel from its normal first position to its second position in order to wind up the same amount of towel is correspondingly decreased. It is for this reason that the rear guides 66 and the front guides 67 converge toward the top of the housing 10.

The measuring roll 50 is preferably smaller in diameter than the take-up drive roll 60. This permits rotation of the measuring roll 50 through more than one revolution during each revolution of the take-up drive roll 60, while at the same time dispensing substantially the same amount of clean towel from the cabinet as is taken up under control of the take-up drive roll during each dispensing operation, for the purposes best described in the aforementioned US. Pat. No. 2,899,251. Supported between the side plates is a roller shield, generally designated by the numeral 70, having two spaced-apart front and rear arcuate sections 71 and 72, respectively conforming substantially to the contours of the measuring roll and the take-up'drive roll 60, and spaced a slight distance therebelow. The front edge of the roll shield is cut away at the center portion thereof to provide two spaced apart towel guides and an upturned lip (not shown) to guide the clean towel as it is fed upwardly between the measuring roll 50 and the pinch roll 55, as will be described below. The roll shield 70,,in addition to serving as a brace between the side plates 40, also functions to divide the interior of the housing 10 into an upper soiled towel compartment and a lower clean towel compartment. Preferably, the entire dispensing unit or mechanism for the cabinet is demountably supported in the housing 10, as explained in detail in the aforementioned US. Pat. No. 2,899,251.

In addition, a guard plate, generally designated by the numeral 75, is pivotally mounted at one end thereof between the side plates 40, by means of pivot pins 76. The guard plate 75 overlies the measuring roll 50 and the pinch roll 55, and is provided with a curved front end 77 which is shaped to conform to the circumference of the pinch roll 55. In use, the guard plate 75 rests against the topof the pinch roll 55, or against the portion of the towel web extending therearound, as will be described below. The pivoted lower end of the guard plate 75 is disposed closely adjacent to the center of the roller shield 70 and cooperates therewith to effectively separate the dispensing mechanism, comprising the measuring roll 50 and the pinch roll 55, from the takeup apparatus, which includes the soiled towel take-u drive roll 60 and soiled towel take-up roll 65.

In the lower end of the housing 10 is mounted a clean towel receptacle, generally designated by the numeral 100, and accommodating therein a roll 80 of clean towel. The receptacle includes an upstanding front panel 101 forming a front wall of the receptacle and an upstanding rear panel 105 forming a rear wall of the receptacle 100. The lower ends of the front and rear panels 101 and 105 are curved inwardly toward each other and are connected together as at- 106 to form a bottom wall for the receptacle 100 which extends below and between the bottom edges of the respective side walls 12. At the upper edge of the front panel 101 is a curved flange 102 spaced a slight distance below the flange 24 on the upper door 20 and cooperating therewith to define a slot or opening 85 into the housing 10 for dispensing clean towel therefrom. The upper edge of the rear panel 105 is indented as at 107 to form a rounded edge or knee 108 and a rearwardly extending flange 109 having a rounded outer edge. The rear panel 105 is also provided with three horizontally aligned oval mounting openings 104 adjacent to the bottom end thereof, for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter. The opposite side ends of the front and rear panels 101 and 105 are closed by a pair of side or end walls 112 which are spaced apart from each other a distance slightly' greater than the normal width v I of a supply roll of clean towel supported in the receptacle 100.

These end walls 112 respectively conform in outline to the contours of the front and rear panels 101 and 105 and may be secured to the inner surfaces thereof in any suitable manner. The end walls 112 are respectively pivoted on supporting brackets 115 by means of pivot screws which pass outwardly through the side walls 112 and a portion of the brackets 1 15. and may be secured thereto by nuts, the supporting brackets 115 being respectively mounted on the inner surfaces of the side walls 12. Respectively formed at the upper edges of the end walls 112 are downwardly and outwardly directed flanges 113. The flanges 113 are preferably rectangular in shape and extend substantially the entire length of the end walls 112, integral therewith. Also, a pair of transversely curved finishing strips (not shown) may be provided on the lower edges of the respective side walls 12 and turned inwardly to substantially close the spaces between the housing side walls 12 and the receptacle end walls 112.

The receptacle 100 is open at the upper end thereof but is provided with a cover or guard plate, generally designated by the numeral 120, which spans the distance between the end walls 112 and includes a flat rear portion 121 and a curved front portion 122. The rear edge of the rear portion 121 is pivotally secured to the upper surface of the flange 109 on the rear panel 105 by pivot lugs 123, or other suitable pivot mounting. Preferably, the rear portion 121 of the guard plate is inclined upwardly from the flange 109, and the curved front portion 122 slopes downwardly from the forward end of the rear portion 121. The front edge of the guard plate 120 is bent back along the upper surface thereof to form a curved flange 124 defining a trough at the front end of the cover plate 120. Respectively depending from the side edges of the guard plate 120 are a pair of side plates 125 which extend downwardly substantially to the bottom of the flange 124. At the lower edges of the side plates 125 are respectively formed outwardly and downwardly directed flanges (not shown) disposed in use substantially parallel to the flanges 1 13 in overlapping relationship therewith, as is described more fully in my aforementioned U.S. application Ser. No. 8,125, now US. Pat. No. 3,637,275.

The receptacle 100 is pivotally movable on the mounting brackets 115 between an upstanding dispensing position, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and a forwardly tilted loading position (not shown) extending outwardly beyond the front edges of the'side walls 112 Thus, the front panel 101 of the receptacle 100 serves as a lower door for the housing 10 which is closed when the receptacle 100 is in the dispensing position thereof and is open when the receptacle 100 is in the loading position thereof. Also, the cover or guard plate 120 is pivotally movable on the hinge 123 between a closed configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, and an open configuration (not shown). When the receptacle 100 is in the dispensing position thereof and the guardplate 120 is in the closed configuration thereof, as illustrated in FIG. 1, flange 109 at the upper edge of the rear panel 105 is interposed between the upper and lower legs 32 and 34 of the channel-shaped member 30 and is substantially parallel to the lower leg 34.

integral with the bottom edge of the rear wall 11 of the housing 10, and extending forwardly therefrom substantially normal thereto is a scraper flange or blade 132 which is generally rectangular in shape, and extends along the entire width of the rear wall 11. The forward edge 133 of the scraper flange 132 defines a sharp scraping edge which engages the towel web along the return path thereof, in a manner to be more fully explained hereinafter. Secured to the rear panel 105 of the receptacle 100 is a retaining or latch member, generally designated by the numeral 135. The retaining member 135 preferably comprises a narrow strip of spring steel, secured .at the upper end thereof to the inner surface of the receptacle rear panel 105 immediately above the center one of the mounting openings 104 by means of a rivet 136. The retaining member 135 extends downwardly directly across the adjacent mounting opening 104 and is provided with a rearwardly extending latch projection 137, normally extending through the associated mounting opening 104 and having a relatively flat bearing surface 138 at the upper end thereof disposed substantially normal to the main body of the retaining member 135. The bottom end 139 of the retaining member 135 extends downwardly beyond the bottom edge of the associated mounting opening 104 along the inner surface of the receptacle rear panel 105. The retaining member 135 is normally biased into a retaining position illustrated in solid lines in F 16. 5, with the upper portion and the bottom end 139 thereof lying flat against the inner surface of the receptacle rear panel 105, and with the latch projection 137 extending downwardly and rearwardly through the associated mounting opening 104 a predetermined short distance. When a forwardly directed force is applied to the projection 137, the retaining member 135 .is moved forwardly, against the natural bias thereof, into a releasing position, illustrated in broken lines in FIG. 5, with the projection 137 depressed inwardly of the receptacle rear panel 105.

There is also provided a removable scraper member, generally designated by the numeral 140, and generally in the form of an angle member having a length substantially equal to the width of the receptacle 100. The

scraper member 140 comprises a generally rectangular attachment flange 141, integral at the bottom edge thereof with a generally rectangular scraper flange 142,

' preferably disposed at an acute angle to the attachment flange 141. The free edge 143 of the scraper flange 142 defines a sharp scraping edge for scraping engagement with the towel web in a manner to be described below.

The juncture between the attachment flange 141 and the scraping flange 143 defines an arcuate corner 144 of small radius. Integral with the attachment flange 141 and disposed substantially parallel thereto and offset a slight distance therefrom in the direction away from the scraping flange 143 are two mounting tabs 145, respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite ends of the attachment flange 141. Each of the mounting tabs 145 is generally rectangular in shape, having a width slightly less than the width of the mounting openings 104 in the receptacle 100, and extending upwardly a slight distance beyond the free edge of the attachment flange ln use, the scraper member 140 is mounted in a scraping position on the rear panel 105 of the receptacle 100. In this scraping position, the mounting tabs 145 are respectively received through the end ones of the mounting openings 104 in the receptacle rear panel 105 and lie against the inner surface thereof, with the attachment flange 141 of the scraper member 140 lying against the outer surface of the receptacle rear panel 105,. as is best illustrated in FIG. 6. In order to accommodate placement of the scraper member 140 in this scraping position, the retaining member is manually depressed to the releasing position thereof, as described above, to permit insertion of the mounting tabs 145 through the associated mounting openings 104.

When the scraper member is disposed in the scraping position illustrated in FIG. 6, the retaining member 135 is released, whereupon it returns to its latching position, illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 5, with the bearing surface 138 thereof disposed in engagement with the corner 144 on the scraper member 140 for thereby holding the scraper member 140 in its scraping position. It will be noted that, when the scraper member 140 is disposedin its scraping position, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the engagement of the mounting tabs 145 against the inner surface of the receptacle rear panel 105 prevents the scraper member 140 from pivoting forwardly from its scraping position, while the latch projection 137 on the retaining member 135 prevents the scraping member 140 from sliding downwardly from the scrapingposition. Further, it will be observed that when the scraper member is in its scraping position, the attachment flange 141 and the mounting tabs 14S thereof cooperate to snugly grip the adjacent portions of the receptacle rear panel 105 therebetween, for thereby preventing any pivotal movement of the scraper member 140 during the scraping operation. When it is desired to remove the scraper member from the receptacle 100 for cleaning or servicing, the retaining member 135 is again manually depressed to its releasing position, thereby disengaging the projection 137 from the scraper member 140 and permitting ready removal thereof from the receptacle 100.

The operation of the improved towel dispensing cabinet will now be describedJIn the ordinary process of loading the cabinet, the upper door 20 is unlocked by means of a conventional locking mechanism (not shown) and is then pivoted outwardly and upwardly on the hinges 21 to an open position. The receptacle 100 is then moved to the loading position thereof whereupon the entire interior of the cabinet is then exposed. A

supply roll of clean towel 80 may then be placed in the receptacle 100 so that the roll 80 will rotate in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1 as the outer web 81 of the towel is drawn upwardly. The outer web 81 of the clean towel is then fed from the roll 80 over the flange 124 on the receptacle cover 120 and thence to the measuring roll 50. In order to feed the outer web 81 of the clean towel between the surfaces of the measuring roll 50 and the pinch roll 55, the latter roll is raised upwardly a slight distance. The web 81 of the towel may then be passed over the surface of the measuring roll 50, then wrapped around the pinch roll 55 beneath the guard plate 75. After the web 81 of the clean towel is wrapped around the pinch roll 55 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, it is then pulled downwardly to form a depending loop 82 below the housing 10. The web is then passed upwardly behind the rear panel 105 of the receptacle 100, there being sufficient space between the rear panel 105 and the rear wall 111 of the housing 10 to pass the web of towel therebetween and back into the interior of the housing 10. The return path of the web 81 to the interior of the housing extends between the scraping flange 132 and the removable scraper member 140, and thence upwardly between the channel-shaped member 30 and the flanged upper end of the rear panel 105 and thence to the take-up roll 65. The channel-shaped member 30 and the rear panel 105 cooperate to define a sinuous portion of this return path, with the knee 108, the rounded end 35 of the leg 34, the rounded end of the flange 109, and the rounded end 33 of the upper leg simultaneous rotation thereof. Further, appropriate control means are provided in the housing 10 for controlling the rotation of the measuring roll 50 and takeup drive roll 60. This control means limits rotation of the measuring roll 50 to a predetermined distance for each dispensing operation and includes time delay 32 defining a plurality of breaker or smoothing edges 7 contacting the soiled towel in the return path and smoothing it to facilitate rewinding on the take-up roll 65.

When the loading operation is started, it is advisable to lift the soiled towel take-up roll 65 out of engagement with the take-up drive roll 60. The web 81 of the clean towel is then pulled upwardly and manually wound in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, around the take-up roll 65. When the web 81 of the clean towel is thus securely wrapped around the take-up roll 65, the latter roll is lowered and placed on the take-up drive roll 60 in the normal first position thereof with the trunnions 68 of the take-up roll 65 in engagement with the rear guides 66, as previously described. The amount of towel forming the loop 82 below the cabinet is determined at this time and will remain substantially constant as the towel is subsequently dispensed and taken up by the dispensing and take-up mechanisms supported in the housing 10. The receptacle 100 may now be moved to the dispensing position thereof and the upper door 20 may be lowered to the closed position thereof and locked. It should be noted, that when the receptacle 100 is returned to the dispensing position thereof, the knee I08 and the flange 109 will press the web 81 of the towel in the return path thereof against the smoothing edges 33 and 35, and will cooperate therewith to provide a reversed bend in the soiled towel return path and to function as a towel breaker so that the used or soiled towel passing to the take-up roll 65 will be flat and free of wrinkles and folds.

The measuring roll 50 and the take-up drive roll 60 are interconnected (by means not shown) to effect means to lock the measuring roll 50 against further rotation until a predetermined time has elapsed. The construction and operation of all of this connecting and controlling apparatus is disclosed in detail in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,251. I

When a user'p ulls down on the web 81 of a clean towel forming a loop 82 exposed in front of and below the housing, the downward pull thus applied causes the pinch roll 55 to revolve in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, and simultaneously to press down on the surface of the measuring roll 50 with the towel web 81 therebetween, thereby causing the measuring roll 50 to revolve in a clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 1. Due to the interconnection between the measuring roll 50 and the take-up drive roll 60, the latter roll is simultaneously rotated in a clockwise direction. Since the take-up roll 65 is resting on the upper surface of the take-up drive roll 60, it rotates in a counterclockwise direction to take up substantially the same amount of towel as is dispensed from the supply roll by the measuring roll 50 during each dispensing operation. The control mechanism limits the length of towel which may be dispensed in a single operation to a predetermined amount and locks the dispensing apparatus against further dispensing until a predetermined time has elapsed, after which another dispensing operation may be performed.

It has been found that, in certain applications of the dispensing cabinet of this invention, the towel 80 accumulates an unusual amount of particulate matter through use. For example, in meat-packing plants, the soiled towel carried particles into the housing 10, which particles upon being loosened by the smoothing edges 33, 35, 108 and 109, sometimes fall into the receptacle and onto the clean towel 80 and there promote bacterial action that may contaminate the clean towel. In order to prevent such contamination, the cover or guard plate 120 was provided in the aforementioned copending application Ser. No. 8,125, now US. Pat. No. 3,637,275. It will be noted that, when the receptacle 100 is in the dispensing position thereof, as indicated in FIG. 1, the take-up roll 65, the smoothing edge 33, and the portion of the soiled towel return path therebetween overlie the open-top clean towel receptacle 100. Further, it will be noted that a gap exists between the rear edge of the roller guide 70 and the smoothing edge 33 which permits the passage of particles therethrough from the smoothing edges or directly from the soiled towel into the receptacle 100. Therefore, the cover or guide plate 120 was provided to bridge this gap'and to substantially close the open top of the receptacle 100. When the guide plate 120 is in the closed configuration thereof, the flanges thereon directly overlie the flanges 113 on the upper edge of the receptacle end walls 112 so that the portion of the receptacle between the flange 124 of the cover 120 and the rear panel is completely closed to access by particulate matter from above the receptacle 100.

More specifically, soil particles falling from the soiled towel return path or from the smoothing edges will fall upon the rear portion 121 of the guard plate 120. Because of the incline of this rear portion 121, particles will tend to roll off the rear edge thereof and outside the receptacle 100. Should any particles, through vibration of the dispensing cabinet, find their way to the forward portion 122 of the cover plate 120, they are trapped in the trough formed by the flange 124 and are prevented from falling into the receptacle 100.

Furthermore, any particles which may fall from the side edges of the guard plate 120 are prevented from entering the receptacle 100 by the side plates 12S and the flanges thereof, the latter flanges respectively overlapping the flanges l13 on the receptacle end walls and cooperating therewith to divert particles to the exterior of the receptacle 100.

When the receptacle 100 is in the dispensing position thereof shown in FIG. 1, the cover plate 120 is prevented by the roller shield 70 from pivoting to the open configuration thereof, the roller shield 70 also serving to prevent the cover plate 120 from coming in contact with the measuring roll 50 and take-up drive roll 60 and thereby interfering with the operation thereof or contaminating clean towel in contact with the measuring roll 50. In addition, it will be noted that the guard plate 75 cooperates with the roller shield 70 to effectively isolate the measuring roll 50 and the pinch roll 55 from the take-up drive roll 60 and take-up roll 65, to further prevent soil particles which may be present in the take-up apparatus from coming into contact with the dispensing apparatus and the portion of the clean towel web extending therethrough.

However, in order to most effectively prevent soil particles from contaminating the clean towel supply within the dispensing cabinet, it has been found advantageous to remove the soil particles from the soiled towel web before the soiled towel is taken up into the dispensing cabinet. This particular removal operation is performed by the scraper mechanism 130 of the present invention. Thus, it will be noted that when the removable scraper member 140 is mounted in its scraping position on the receptacle 100 and the receptacle 100 is disposed in its dispensing position, illustrated in FIG. 1, the scraping blade 143 of the scraper member 140 is spaced a slight distance above and in overlapping relationship with the scraper blade 133 on the rear wall 11 of the housing 10. In this configuration, the scraper blades 132 and 142 cooperate to deflect the towel web in the lower portion of its return path 83, with the scraping edges 133 and 143 respectively disposed in scraping engagement with the opposite sides of the soiled towel web. Thus, as the soiled towel web is pulled up into the housing by the take-up mechanism, it is scraped over the scraping edges of the scraping blades 132 and 142, thereby to effectively loosen and remove soil particles therefrom before they reach the upper portion of the return path 83 above the receptacle 100.

It will periodically be necessary to clean the scraping blades 132 and 142, in which case it is necessary only to remove the removable scraper member 140 in the manner described above, whereby the scraper member 140 can easily be cleaned and access to the fixed scraper blade 133 forv cleaning thereof is greatly facilitated. In this connection, it will also be noted that the removable scraper member 140 is mounted closely adjacent to the open bottom of the housing 10, whereby it is readily accessible through the open bottom for removal or replacement. Any particles which are not removed by the scraping mechanism 130, will, of course, still be prevented by the roller shield and the guard plate and the receptacle cover 120 from coming in contact with and contaminating the clean towel supply in the manner described above.

When the roll of clean towel has been exhausted, the receptacle may be pivoted to the loading position thereof and the upper door 20 may be moved to the open position thereof. In this position, the cover plate may be cleaned of any particles which may have accumulated thereon, after which the cover plate 120 may be moved to the open configuration thereof to facilitate loading a new clean towel supply into the receptacle 100. After removal of the soiled towel and insertion of a new roll of clean towel, the receptacle cover 120 may be returned to the closed configuration thereof, whereupon the clean towel is rethreaded through the dispensing and take-up apparatus and the receptacle 100 is returned to the dispensing position thereof.

While in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in the drawings, there have been provided three mounting openings 104, two mounting tabs 145 and a single retaining member 135, it will be appreciated that any other convenient number of mounting openings, mounting tabs and retaining members may advantageously be provided. Similarly, the placement of the mounting openings 104 and the retaining members may be varied, as desired.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided an improvedtowel dispensing cabinet of the continuous type with a plurality of sanitary features all cooperating to effectively prevent contamination of the clean towel supply by soil particles on the soiled towel.

More particularly, there has been provided a scraper mechanism for scraping soil particles from the soiled towel before it is taken up into the dispensing cabinet. In addition, there has been provided a scraper mechanism which includes a fixed scraping blade on the rear wall of the dispenser housing and a removable scraper blade detachably mounted in the rear panel of the clean towel receptacle, these two scraping blades respectively disposed in use in scraping engagement with the opposite sides of the soiled towel.

Finally, there has been provided a scraping mechanism of simple and economical construction which affords ready access thereto for cleaning or other maintenance.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into said housing, a receptacle mounted in said housing and having an access opening therein for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said receptacle, and

scraper mechanism carried by said housing below said access opening and said dispensing apparatus along a lower portion of the return path, said scraper mechanism having a sharp scraping blade disposed in use for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path are prevented from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.

2. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said receptacle has an open top defining said access opening, said scraper mechanism being disposed adjacent to the bottom of said receptacle.

3. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing has an open bottom, said scraper mechanism being disposed adjacent to the open bottom of said housing to facilitate access thereto.

4. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into said housing, a receptacle mounted in said housing and having an access opening therein for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said receptacle, and two spacedapart scraping members carried by said housing below said access opening and said dispensing apparatus along a lower portion of the return path and extending generally toward each other, each of said scraping members having a sharp scraping blade disposed in use for engaging and scraping the-soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path are prevented from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.

5. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said scraping members comprises a flat plate disposed substantially normal to'the return path and extending thereinto, whereby said scraping members engage and deflect the adjacent portion of the soiled towel to define an inclined portion of the return path.

6. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 4, wherein said two scraping members are respectively carried by said receptacle and the adjacent portion of said housing.

7. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 4, wherein said two scraping members are respectively carried by said receptacle and the adjacent portion of said housing, the scraping member carried by said receptacle being disposed above the scraping member carried by the adjacent portion of said housing.

8; The towel dispenser set forth in claim 4, wherein one of said scraping members is detachably carried by said housing.

9. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into said housing, an open-top receptacle mounted in said housing for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, said housing having a rear wall spaced rearwardly from the rear of said receptacle for defining therebetween a lower portion of the return path, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an'upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said receptacle, a first scraping member detachably mounted on the rear of said receptacle and extending rearwardly therefrom, and a second scraping member carried by said rear wall of said housing and extending forwardly therefrom adjacent to and spaced from said first scrapingmember, said first and second scraping members being disposed below said dispensing apparatus and the open top of said receptacle, each of said first and second scraper mechanisms having a sharp scraping blade disposed in use for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path are prevented from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.

10. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 9, wherein said second scraping member is integral with the bottom edge of said rear wall of said housing.

11. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 9, wherein said second scraping member is integral with the bottom edge of said rear wall of said housing, said first scraping member being disposed above said second scraping member.

12. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 9, wherein said housing has an open bottom, said first scraping member being disposed adjacent to the open bottom of said housing to facilitate attachment and removal of said first scraping member through said open housing bottom.

13. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into said housing, an open-top receptacle mounted in said housing and having a mounting opening therein adjacent to the lower rear end thereof, said housing having a rear wall spaced rearwardly from the rear of said receptacle for defining therebetween a lower portion of the return path, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said open-top receptacle, a first scraping member having a sharp scraping blade and a mounting tab thereon, said first scraping member having a scraping position with said mounting tab received in said mounting opening and said scraping blade extending rearwardly from said receptacle, retaining means engaging said first scraping member in the scraping position thereof for releasably holding said first scraping member in said scraping position, and a second sharp scraping blade carried by said rear wall of said housing and extending forwardly therefrom adjacent to and spaced from said first scraping blade, said first and second scraping blades being disposed below said dispensing apparatus and the open top of said receptacle for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper position of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path are prevented from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.

14. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 13, wherein said receptacle is provided with three mounting openings therein, said first scraping member having two mounting tabs thereon respectively receivable in two of said mounting openings, said retaining means being secured to the inner surface of said receptacle and extending through the third mounting opening for engagement with said first scraping member.

, 15. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 13, wherein said receptacle is provided with three mounting openings therein, said retaining means comprising a resilient member secured to the inner surface of said receptacle and extending across one of the mounting openings therein, said resilient member having a latch projection thereon extending through said one mounting opening for engagement with said first scraping member in the scraping position thereof, said projection being resiliently depressable into said receptacle through said one mounting opening to accommodate insertion of said mounting tab in and removal of said mounting tabs from said one of said mounting openings.

16. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having an opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit gath through the opening to an exposed position accessi le to a user and thence along a return path into the housing, an open-top receptacle mounted in said housing for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel fromthe return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said open-top receptacle, a shield member mounted in said housing adjacent to said dispensing apparatus and said takeup means and shaped and arranged substantially to separate said dispensing apparatus and said takeup means from said receptacle, a guard member mounted in said housing adjacent to said dispensing apparatus and shaped and arranged for cooperation with said shield member substantially to separate said dispensing apparatus from said takeup means, a receptacle cover mounted in said housing and disposed in use between said takeup means and said open-top receptacle and being shaped and arranged substantially to close at least the portion of said receptacle underlying said takeup means and the upper portion of the return path, and scraper mechanism carried by said housing below said access opening and said dispensing apparatus, said scraper mechanism having a sharp scraping blade disposed in use'for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby said scraping mechanism cooperates with said shield member and said guard member and said receptacle cover for preventing soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein. 

1. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into said housing, a receptacle mounted in said housing and having an access opening therein for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said receptacle, and scraper mechanism carried by said housing below said access opening and said dispensing apparatus along a lower portion of the return path, said scraper mechanism having a sharp scraping blade disposed in use for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path are prevented from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.
 2. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said receptacle has an open top defining said access opening, said scraper mechanism being disposed adjacent to the bottom of said receptacle.
 3. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing has an open bottom, said scraper mechanism being disposed adjacent to the open bottom of said housing to facilitate access thereto.
 4. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein and having associated thErewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into said housing, a receptacle mounted in said housing and having an access opening therein for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said receptacle, and two spaced-apart scraping members carried by said housing below said access opening and said dispensing apparatus along a lower portion of the return path and extending generally toward each other, each of said scraping members having a sharp scraping blade disposed in use for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path are prevented from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.
 5. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said scraping members comprises a flat plate disposed substantially normal to the return path and extending thereinto, whereby said scraping members engage and deflect the adjacent portion of the soiled towel to define an inclined portion of the return path.
 6. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 4, wherein said two scraping members are respectively carried by said receptacle and the adjacent portion of said housing.
 7. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 4, wherein said two scraping members are respectively carried by said receptacle and the adjacent portion of said housing, the scraping member carried by said receptacle being disposed above the scraping member carried by the adjacent portion of said housing.
 8. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 4, wherein one of said scraping members is detachably carried by said housing.
 9. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into said housing, an open-top receptacle mounted in said housing for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, said housing having a rear wall spaced rearwardly from the rear of said receptacle for defining therebetween a lower portion of the return path, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said receptacle, a first scraping member detachably mounted on the rear of said receptacle and extending rearwardly therefrom, and a second scraping member carried by said rear wall of said housing and extending forwardly therefrom adjacent to and spaced from said first scraping member, said first and second scraping members being disposed below said dispensing apparatus and the open top of said receptacle, each of said first and second scraper mechanisms having a sharp scraping blade disposed in use for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled toweL along the return path are prevented from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.
 10. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 9, wherein said second scraping member is integral with the bottom edge of said rear wall of said housing.
 11. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 9, wherein said second scraping member is integral with the bottom edge of said rear wall of said housing, said first scraping member being disposed above said second scraping member.
 12. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 9, wherein said housing has an open bottom, said first scraping member being disposed adjacent to the open bottom of said housing to facilitate attachment and removal of said first scraping member through said open housing bottom.
 13. A towel dispenser of the continuous type comprising a housing having a dispensing opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the dispensing opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into said housing, an open-top receptacle mounted in said housing and having a mounting opening therein adjacent to the lower rear end thereof, said housing having a rear wall spaced rearwardly from the rear of said receptacle for defining therebetween a lower portion of the return path, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said dispensing opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said open-top receptacle, a first scraping member having a sharp scraping blade and a mounting tab thereon, said first scraping member having a scraping position with said mounting tab received in said mounting opening and said scraping blade extending rearwardly from said receptacle, retaining means engaging said first scraping member in the scraping position thereof for releasably holding said first scraping member in said scraping position, and a second sharp scraping blade carried by said rear wall of said housing and extending forwardly therefrom adjacent to and spaced from said first scraping blade, said first and second scraping blades being disposed below said dispensing apparatus and the open top of said receptacle for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper position of the return path, whereby soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path are prevented from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein.
 14. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 13, wherein said receptacle is provided with three mounting openings therein, said first scraping member having two mounting tabs thereon respectively receivable in two of said mounting openings, said retaining means being secured to the inner surface of said receptacle and extending through the third mounting opening for engagement with said first scraping member.
 15. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 13, wherein said receptacle is provided with three mounting openings therein, said retaining means comprising a resilient member secured to the inner surface of said receptacle and extending across one of the mounting openings therein, said resilient member having a latch projection thereon extending through said one mounting opening for engagement with said first scraping member in the scraping position thereof, said projection being resiliently depressable into said receptacle through said one mounting opening to accommodate insertion of said mounting tab in and removal of said mounting tabs from said one of said mounting openings.
 16. A towel dispenser of the conTinuous type comprising a housing having an opening therein and having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exit path through the opening to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into the housing, an open-top receptacle mounted in said housing for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from said receptacle through said opening into the loop along the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop takeup means mounted in said housing and coupled to said dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing soiled towel from the return path, said takeup means and an upper portion of the return path overlying a portion of said open-top receptacle, a shield member mounted in said housing adjacent to said dispensing apparatus and said takeup means and shaped and arranged substantially to separate said dispensing apparatus and said takeup means from said receptacle, a guard member mounted in said housing adjacent to said dispensing apparatus and shaped and arranged for cooperation with said shield member substantially to separate said dispensing apparatus from said takeup means, a receptacle cover mounted in said housing and disposed in use between said takeup means and said open-top receptacle and being shaped and arranged substantially to close at least the portion of said receptacle underlying said takeup means and the upper portion of the return path, and scraper mechanism carried by said housing below said access opening and said dispensing apparatus, said scraper mechanism having a sharp scraping blade disposed in use for engaging and scraping the soiled towel to remove soil particles therefrom before reaching the upper portion of the return path, whereby said scraping mechanism cooperates with said shield member and said guard member and said receptacle cover for preventing soil particles which may be carried by the soiled towel along the return path from falling into said receptacle and said dispensing apparatus and contaminating the clean towel therein. 